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Imelletty perunalaatikko
Sweet baked potato casserole
Imelletty perunalaatikko: Finland's slow-sweetened Christmas potato casserole
Imelletty perunalaatikko is the most traditional of the Finnish Christmas casseroles, made in the days before Christmas Eve. Mashed potato is mixed with a little flour and left warm for hours, so the potatoes' own enzymes turn starch into sugar ('imelletty' means sweetened), and then it is baked slowly until the top is a deep caramel brown. The result tastes gently sweet with no added sugar and is eaten with ham, herring or, on a vegetarian table, with mushroom salad and beetroot. Chef's tip: keep the mash at hand-warm (about 55 °C) while it sweetens; too hot and the enzymes die, too cool and nothing happens.
- Total time
- 300 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb floury potatoespeeled
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 ¼ cups milkwarm
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp golden syrup (optional)only if it hasn't sweetened enough
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 3 ⅓ lb floury potatoes in unsalted water for 20–25 minutes until soft. Drain and mash very smoothly while hot.
25 minStep 2: Let the mash cool to hand-warm, then stir in 3 tbsp plain flour until evenly mixed.
10 minStep 3: Cover and keep warm for 3 hours: put the bowl in an oven heated to 122°F, then switched off, or in a warm water bath. Stir every hour and dust another teaspoon of flour over the top each time. It is ready when it tastes noticeably sweet and has turned slightly runny. A common mistake is skipping this step: the casserole then tastes of plain mash.
180 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ¼ cups milk, 1 ½ tsp salt and half of ⅔ oz butter, and 1 tbsp golden syrup if it needs a little more sweetness. Spread in a buttered 2-litre dish.
Step 5: Make a pattern on top with a spoon and dot with the rest of ⅔ oz butter. Bake at 300°F (275°F fan) for 2½–3 hours, until the top is dark golden-brown and the sides have a caramelised crust.
170 minStep 6: Serve hot. It reheats well over the Christmas days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does imelletty perunalaatikko take?
- About 300 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 270 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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